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Sand Trap Anchor

Description

A sand trap is a reinforced piece of fabric that you can weight with sand, rappel from, and then release the sand from once you're at the bottom of the rappel. The sand trap is one of several "ghosting" techniques, meaning that you're not leaving any fixed gear behind.

Advantages

The sand trap is retrievable, meaning you can retrieve your gear from the bottom of the rappel after rappelling from it. The sand trap can also be less damaging to the canyon than bolts or other fixed anchors.

Disadvantages

The sand trap is a marginal anchor, meaning that it is only slightly stronger than the weight of a person rappelling. If the sand trap is rigged incorrectly or the rappeller is too bouncy, the sand trap can easily fail. The sand trap is an advanced piece of gear requiring extensive training and experience. Even very experienced canyoneers have had failed sand traps.

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